Nov 1 Barrick Gold Corp reported a
sharp drop in third-quarter profit on Thursday, while again
increasing its cost estimate for building the massive
Pascua-Lama mine and pushing back the date when production at
the project will begin.

Shares of the world's top gold miner dropped 7 percent
after it bumped up the cost of building Pascua-Lama, located
high in the Andes mountains on the border between Chile and
Argentina, to $8 billion to $8.5 billion from an earlier budget
of $7.5 billion to $8 billion.

The company blamed the increase on delays and higher labor
and project-management costs.

This is the second time Barrick has boosted its cost
estimate. Three months ago it raised the Pascua-Lama budget by
50 to 60 percent from a previous estimate of $4.7 billion to $5
billion.

In June, Jamie Sokalsky, the company's long-time chief
financial officer, replaced Aaron Regent as chief executive and
said he would take a more disciplined approach to spending.

Making good on that promise even as costs at Pascua-Lama
climbed, Barrick on Thursday said it had deferred some $3
billion in capital spending over four years as part of a review
of its projects, with about $1 billion lopped off 2013 spending.

Next year's capital expenditures are now expected to be
largely in line with 2012 spending.

"Our increased emphasis on free cash flow will position the
company, in the future, with the potential to return more
capital to shareholders, repay debt, and make additional
attractive return investments to upgrade our portfolio," the
company said in a statement.

PROJECT WOES

Barrick lowered its full year outlook for copper production
to 450 million pounds in 2012 as production was delayed at its
Jabal Sayid project in Saudi Arabia.

While construction is complete at the Saudi copper mine, the
project, designed to Australian standards, does not meet Saudi
safety and security rules. With compliance work under way, the
mine is now expected to start up in 2014.

Barrick maintained its total capital budget for Jabal Sayid
at about $400 million, with the mine set to produce 100
million-130 million pounds of copper a year once in commercial
production.

The company's gold production took a slight hit from lower
output at its African Barrick Gold subsidiary. Even so,
it is expected to be within an earlier forecast range of 7.3
million to 7.5 million ounces for the year.

The company nudged its estimate for total cash costs higher
to $575-$585 an ounce from $550-$575 an ounce.

Barrick is in talks with China National Gold on selling its
73.9 percent stake in African Barrick.

At Pascua-Lama, production is now expected to begin in the
second half of 2014, a slight push-back from an earlier mid-2014
target.

Barrick has spent about $3.7 billion on the project to date.
Pascua-Lama is expected to produce 800,000-850,000 ounces of
gold and 35 million ounces of silver in its first full five
years of production.

SALES FALL

The company's net profit fell to $618 million, or 62 cents
per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from $1.37
billion, or $1.37 per share, a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, Barrick earned 85 cents per share,
down from $1.38 per share a year earlier. Analysts, on average,
had expected earnings of 98 cents a share, according to Thomson
Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue fell 13.5 percent to $3.4 billion on lower gold
sales and a lower realized gold price in the third quarter.

The average realized gold price fell 5 percent to $1,655 per
ounce, while gold sales dropped 6 percent to 1.8 million ounces.
Total cash costs rose 31 percent to $592 per ounce in the
quarter.

Shares of Barrick dropped C$2.90 to C$37.49 shortly after
trading opened on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday.

($1=$1.00 Canadian)
(Reporting by Julie Gordon in Toronto and Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay
in Bangalore; Editing by Editing by Frank McGurty and Peter
Galloway)

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